Wedding & Fashion Photography..how do they relate!?

I had a colleague of mine once say that he wanted to focus on JUST Weddings & Portraits and he could not understand WHY we had gone towards other things like High School Seniors, Fashion, as well as Sports Photography.  In all reality when he mentioned this, I too had to stop and think about WHY!

Funny how things happen this was around the time, I had crossed paths with Skip Cohen, a fabulous person to know and follow in this industry.  Skip with many years under his belt, and as the former President/CEO of Hasselblad, the  past President/Chief Operating Officer of Rangefinder Publishing Inc. , and now President/Founder  of  Marketing Essentials International, is the ONE person who helped put it all into perspective for me.  Not only did he confirm for me that "diversity" in this business is good, but it is essential!  He was so right!  I looked at today's economy and also figured that YStudio needed to be ready and diversity was a way to stay afloat in this business.  After all, we are photographers, as well as artists, and although we would like to specialize in one area, photography and art form  is everywhere!

Another valuable lesson I learned in my dealings while being asked to be a  Guest Blogger with Skip, was that being creative meant that I could not pick and choose, being creative is just that...being creative!  I love when I am able to create something from nothing, and at the end of the day, THIS is why clients hire us....they trust us, and how could I let them down, plus it is so much fun!

Take Fashion Photography for instance.....a lot of which I am  learning in the Fashion Photography industry is that I can easily apply this to my weddings.  Think of it this way.....when a bride is planning her wedding what is among the first thing she invests in?  MAGAZINES! Yes! Do you think her breath is taken away by everyday "real" wedding photography?  The chances are slim, what will take her breath away are the Bridal Couture images of gowns, and other fashion editorial spreads.  SHE WANTS TO LOOK AND FEEL LIKE THIS!  So I simply take images from my favorite fashion shots, and think hey I can have a bride do that pose at her wedding!  And of course I always ask tell my brides let's be adventurous, you would be surprised just what they will do if you simply ask!

So, I feel that being diverse, creative and doing the NON traditional is going to help me get those images for my client.   Don't turn down a shoot simply because you only do weddings, or only do portraits, think of it this way, you WILL learn something which you can apply to whatever it is that you specialize in...you will keep shooting which is always important and you will HAVE FUN!

Photos by :  B. Yasuhara